The present invention relates to an accessory for preventing a stroller from tipping over due to an imbalance in weight on the stroller.
Strollers, especially folding strollers, have a tendency to tip over backward when force is exerted on the handles of the stroller that is not counterbalanced by force in the seat of the stroller. Often, packages and bags that are hooked onto the handles while a child is in the stroller seat will cause the stroller to tip over backward when the child is removed from the seat before the bags are removed.
An existing approach to solving this problem involves adding counter-weights near the front wheels of the stroller to oppose the force of the packages on the handles. The disadvantage to this approach, however, is that the weights must be relatively heavy in order to prevent the stroller from tipping over, thereby adding to the overall weight of the stroller. In the case of umbrella strollers that are designed to be folded and carried, extra weight is undesirable from a portability standpoint.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a practical, lightweight device that would prevent a stroller from tipping over backwards when a child is removed from the stroller seat and packages or bags continue to exert a force on the stroller handles.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a lightweight device that attaches to a stroller and can prevent the stroller from tipping over backward;
It is a further object of the invention that the device not interfere with the normal operation, including folding and unfolding, of a stroller;
It is a further object of the invention that the device be mountable on different types of strollers;
It is a further object of the invention that the device be deployable only when needed to support the stroller.
In accordance with these and other objects, the stroller stand of the present invention comprises an elongated member that is designed to be attached to a stroller to prevent the stroller from tipping over backward. The stroller stand can be attached to a stroller and remain attached to the stroller without interfering with its normal operation, folding, or unfolding. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stroller stand comprises a telescoping elongated member that may be made of metal or any other suitably rigid material, which is attachable to the frame of a stroller. The elongated member can be attached to the frame of a stroller without interfering with other parts of the stroller.
Once attached, the elongated member can be easily moved between a stored position and a deployed position. In its stored position, the elongated member rests parallel to the frame of the stroller and is releasably secured to the restraining member attached to the stroller. In this position, the stroller can be folded and unfolded, and other accessories attached, without interference from the stroller stand. The elongated member can be deployed by releasing it from the restraining member, pivoting the elongated member away from the stroller, then telescoping the elongated member until the end of the elongated member rests on the ground. In its deployed position, the elongated member forms a diagonal between the stroller and the ground, preventing the stroller from tipping backwards as it may be inclined to do due to weight on the handlebars of the stroller. The elongated member can be deployed, for example, before removing a child from the stroller seat when bags and packages are hung on the stroller handlebars. The elongated member will prevent the stroller from tipping backwards as it otherwise might do due to the imbalance caused by removing the weight of the child from the stroller seat.